Humpy Koneru withdraws from FIDE Women’s Candidates 2026; Anna Muzychuk steps in
Humpy Koneru (India) has officially withdrawn from the FIDE Women’s Candidates Tournament 2026, scheduled to take place in Cyprus from March 28 to April 16. In accordance with Article 2.2. of the Tournament Regulations, her place has been offered to the next highest finisher in the Women’s Events Series 2024–25 not securing qualification. As a result, Anna Muzychuk (Ukraine) will join the tournament as her replacement. According to Article 4.5.3. of Tournament Regulations, “the pairings shall remain the same except that the replacement player shall take the place of the withdrawn player.” The Chief Arbiter will shortly adjust the pairings accordingly. Official website: https://candidates2026.fide.com/ Tickets are available here: https://tickets.fide.com/
Sergey Pinchuk (1943-2026)
It is with deep sadness that the International Chess Federation has learned of the passing of Sergey Pinchuk, a respected FIDE Senior Coach who made immense contributions to developing chess talent in Uzbekistan. He was 83. Born in 1943 in Tashkent, Pinchuk honed his chess skills through self-directed study and extensive reading of chess literature. Soon he became a Master of Sports in Chess represented the Uzbekistan national team in various competitions and secured numerous titles in the national championship. In 1970, Sergey Pinchuk transitioned to professional coaching upon receiving an invitation from the Republican Youth School of Sports Mastery (RYSSM). As head coach, he led the Uzbekistan national youth teams for twenty years. In 1984, the national team of Uzbekistan became the champion of the All-Union Spartakiad of Schoolchildren in Tashkent. Under his guidance, Uzbekistan’s national team earned silver medals at the 1992 Chess Olympiad in Manila. Throughout his long coaching career, Pinchuk worked closely and productively with grandmasters Grigory Serper and Rustam Kasimdzhanov. In recognition of his students’ distinguished performances in both individual and team competitions, Pinchuk received the following honors: Honored Coach of Uzbekistan (awarded in 1979) Honored Worker of Public Education of Uzbekistan (awarded in 1985) In 1992, S.T. Pinchuk was awarded the Certificate of Merit of the Republic of Uzbekistan for his long-term and fruitful work and participation in public and political life. Pinchuk’s successful professional activities were twice recognized with certificates from the Cabinet of Ministers of Uzbekistan, in 2009 and 2011. FIDE expresses its deepest condolences to Sergey Pinchuk’s family, friends, and loved ones.